Ranier Ford

Is violence in Hip Hop Lyrics is protecting Freedom of

Speech?
In the nations largest cities (those with more than one million people) there
has been a 6.1 percent increase in violent crimes since 2006. Factored out, rape
accounts for 3.2 percent, murders for 1.5 percent, and the last 1.4 percent is left for
various other forms of violence (Williams, 2013). A result of the increasing violence
is that people are searching for causes; one of which is Hip Hop. In general, Hip Hop
lyrics are incredibly violent, racist, misogynistic and crime-ridden. However, despite
Hip Hop glorifying vulgar messages, it is not the cause for growth in violence in the
U.S.

Arguably the biggest role of the U.S. government is to protect its people. To
do so, they must critically analyze potentially dangerous messages that can reach
the masses, most commonly found in the media. The First Amendment allows for
variations of speech, expression, press and petition. When a case that potentially
violates the securities of the First Amendment reaches the Supreme Court, it is up to
the judges to determine what natures of speech, press, and expression go too far. If
and when the Supreme Court rules the speech or other forms of expression
unconstitutional, they can approach the case from various angles to solve the
problem. A common way to do this is by means of prior restraint. Prior restraint is,
an official government restriction of speech prior to publication. (Government,
Prior) The First Amendment declares censoring media unconstitutional. However,
when a judge has the impression that there is a risk of clear and present danger or
that there is a gravity of evil, invasion of free speech can be justified. Most
commonly, restraints are applied to the media releasing information, Internet
speech, or if speech has already been adjudged as libelous. (Government, Prior)
Though growing crime rates are a significant reason for the accusations, they
are not the only reason that Hip Hop has been blamed for violence. In April of 1992,
Texas State Trooper Bill Davidson, pulled over Ronald Howard for driving a car with
broken headlights. Howard then removed a nine-millimeter Glock pistol from his
glove compartment and shot Davidson on site, killing him instantly. While in Court,
the Defendants Attorney argued that when the crime was committed, Howard was
listening to Tupac Shakurs song, Crooked Ass Nigga that had similar lyrics
depicting the crime. Shakurs lyrics are:
Now I could be a crooked nigga too.
When I'm rollin with my crew
Watch what crooked niggas do
I got a nine-millimeter Glock pistol
I'm ready to get with you at the trip of a whistle
So make your move and act like you wanna flip
The attorney used this evidence to reason that for Howard to have committed the
crime, there had to have been some sort of influence from the music, given the
frighteningly similar circumstances. (Giovaccini, Negative Influence)
As a result of the trial, Officer Davidsons wife filed a suit against Shakur, and
Death Row Records for, gross negligence in writing and distributing music
intended to 'incite immediate lawless action,"' (Baltimore, Murder-Music). The two
main questions that were subject to investigation were: (1) What is the span of
material protected by the First Amendment and (2) should artists be held
accountable for the possible influence of their work.
In the end, the court ruled in favor of the Defendants. The Judge on the case, John D.
Rainey, explained that the verdict was determined because:
The First Amendment became part of the Constitution because the Crown
sought to suppress the Farmers own rebellious, sometimes violent views.
Thus, although the Court cannot recommend 2Facalypse Now to anyone, it
will not strip Shakurs free speech rights based on the evidence presented by
the Davidsons for these reasons, Defendants Tupac Amaru Shakurs and
Death Row Records motion to Dismiss case for lack of Personal Jurisdiction
should be GRANTED. Plaintiffs action is herby DISMISSED WITH
PREJUDICE. (United States District Court)
A common mentality associated with the Hip Hop industry is similar to that of Suge
Knights, the Executive Producer of Death Row Records. Knight, believes that:
The success [of Hip Hop] comes from the streets. Before you can cross over
and go to pop, the ghetto got to accept you first. Then you get kids in Utah
saying everybody in Compton, Long Beach, and Watts is playing this and
dancing to this. This is all right. So you gotta go with the ghetto first, period"
(qtd. in MTV Productions). Knights ultimate goal is to make the audience
believe that, hard-core gangsters have a good time listening, watching, and
living the way that Hip Hop lyrics depict, and we [the people] could too if we
do what they tell us.
It is with approaches to Hip Hop similar to that of Suge Knights that aids in
the belief that Hip Hop lyrics are driving factors of the growing violence today. What
isnt considered though, is that modern day youth have much more access to violent
influences than just the lyrics of Hip Hop artists. There is violence in family, schools,
politics, and the media (Malek, Violence). Pop culture bombards people with violent
movie scenes, and it sexualizes women to the point that they become objects rather
than humans. While it is easy to point fingers at a specific group that idealizes
violence, it is unreasonable to put the blame on them without considering every
other influential factor.
Additionally, Hip Hop lyrics are often developed as reflections of urban life.
The vast majority of rappers are illustrating their experiences in inner-city life and
using Hip Hop as an outlet to portray it. Furthermore, There is no tangible evidence
that suggests that certain music genres drive people to commit violent acts. Those
who go out to see Wu-Tang Clan perform are the same people who handle finances
and teach children; there is no research to suggest that choices in music determine
that somebody will go out and commit a violent act.
It is nearly impossible for the government to find justification to intervene on
the grounds of prior restraint simply because there is not enough evidence that the
Hip Hop lyrics incite violence. In addition, controversy similar to the Hip Hop lyric
debate is what drives progression. Without opposing sides of an issue trying to get
their way, there would be no reason for Hip Hop lyrics and their content to ever be
discussed. By challenging what is considered acceptable, Hip Hop has ensured that
United States citizens rights to freedom of speech and expression are obtained. It is
absolutely necessary for Hip Hop to fall under protection of the First Amendment as
expression because if violent Hip Hop artists expressions arent protected, than
whose are?













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"Government Censorship (Prior Restraints)." Government Censorships (Prior
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Malek, Amal S., Ph.D. "Violence in Language: Is Rap Music Causing Violence in
America?" Violence: Realities and Concerns (n.d.): 107-15. NDU.edu. National Defense
University. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.

Patman, Jean. "Free Speech and Music." Ed. Natilee Dunning.
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"Will Rap Music Be Convicted in Texas? Murder-music Trial in Penalty
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Williams, Timothy. "Violent Crime in U.S. Rises for First Time Since 2006." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 03 June 2013. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.